It is common knowledge among experts in the sport of basketball that it is desirable for a player to shoot the basketball with a high arch. Many beginning basketball players, however, shoot the ball at a low trajectory. Accordingly, basketball coaches are continually interested in devices and methods for teaching beginning players how to shoot the basketball properly.
Another problem in coaching basketball is to encourage players to shoot lay-ups from the proper angle of approach and to encourage a player shooting rebound shots to use the backboard.
Still another difficulty in coaching basketball is the problem of encouraging players to assume the proper position a sufficient distance from the basket to field balls as they rebound from missed shots.
Farley, U.S. Pat. No. 3,342,486 discloses a practice rail attachment which requires the use of clamps to attach the device to the backboard and could damage the backboard if a player should hang from the rim of the goal. Gray U.S. Pat. No. 3,160,414 discloses a basketball practice device which requires the player or coach to visually observe the "ears" of the device after a shot is taken to see if the trajectory was suitable. Consequently this type of device is not suitable for use in a basketball scrimmage involving teams actively playing.
Other patents relating to basketball practice devices include Dix, U.S. Pat. No. 3,348,840, Miller, U.S. Pat. No. 3,365,196 and Marschalk, U.S. Pat. No. 2,918,283. However, none of these patents relates to devices for improving shot trajectory and Marschalk and Dix decrease the size of the goal which tends to discourage the players in their shooting practice.
Therefore it is an object of my invention to provide a practice device which can be attached to a standard basketball goal and which aids in teaching players the proper shooting techniques in the sport of basketball.
One of the principal objects of the present invention is to provide a device which will deflect shots having a flat trajectory and will encourage shooters to place a higher arch or trajectory on a shot. Another object of the present invention is to provide a device which can easily be attached and detached to a basket without damaging the goal or the backboard.
A still further object of the present invention is to provide a device which encourages higher arched shots but still does not foreshorten the size of the goal so that it can be used during regular scrimmage and practice.
Still another object is to provide a device which can be used as a sighting aid by the player shooting the ball and which can be adjusted around the periphery of the goal.
Another object is to provide a device which will assist in improving the form of the player in shooting both distant and close-in shots and which will encourage players to position themselves a sufficient distance from the goal to capture missed shots on the rebound.
These and other objects and advantages will become apparent hereinafter.